Family Resemblance
by broomvsbubble
Summary: Set during Elphaba's time with the resistance. AU from there. Gelphie
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Wicked****. **I hope you enjoy this story.

"Well hello there, Fae! What took you so long? It's about damn time you got here!"

"Yeah well, you know, the usual: I went shopping, got my nails done, went to this little place on 2nd street where they do the best cucumber masks… I don't know, but I guess I just lost track of time…It's so important to take care of oneself though! Don't you agree?" Elphaba grinned, not in the least intimidated by the burly man opening the door and ushering her in.

"Hardy, har, har. You can save your sarcasm, woman. I'm assuming that half-dead kitty cat you're holding is the real reason you're late! Let's hope Ian doesn't find out: you know how the boss hates tardiness! And for a lost cause at that!"

"Lost cause? Ha! She's a fighter! She'll pull through it. I'm sure. …Arg, don't you dare give me that look, Anthony! I'm not "going soft" I'm just as focused on the mission as the rest of you and you know it! Just because –"

"Fae!" A voice boomed, interrupting her mid- outburst.

"Fae! Stop that bickering this instant and come here! …You see that boy over there? Derek and Mellark saw him loitering outside our quarters at 52nd street and brought him in for questioning. Says he wants to join the team! Go see, if he's up for the job!"

With that their boss, a giant Silverback Gorilla named Ian, was gone.

"I da know, Fae, he seems a bit lanky to me…" Anthony had come up behind her and was now eyeballing the blindfolded boy in the corner. Elphaba just raised an eyebrow, her gaze wandering down his body and stopping pointedly at his wooden leg.

"uh...then again: don't judge a book by its cover, eh? …I say: Give the boy a chance!"

"Glad you still got some enthusiasm in you, old boy, but we'll see about that, won't we? In the meantime, be a dear, and take care of her for me!" Trusting the cat into his arms Elphaba made her way across the room.


	2. Chapter 2

**I still don't own Wicked.**

"Well, well, who do we have here?" Elphaba mused pulling the burlap bag from her victim's head.

The boy was her height, lean and a little too pretty. Although he had his long hair bound back in a braid and was wearing a wide shirt and trousers Elphaba could see that "boy" was in fact clearly a "girl" and from what she could tell with all that dirt smudges on her face an extremely gorgeous one at that: _well, this should be interesting! _

"Soo.. what brings a doll like you to this part of town? …Oh don't look so shocked! Did you really think you could pass as a boy?"

Elphaba cackled: "Not a chance dear, I've been working in an all-boys-club for a while now and believe me I know how one's supposed to smell, act and look."

"…You look awfully young, too! How old are you?"

"19."

"What, months? Let's try this again: how old are you, sweetheart? And don't you lie to me! I don't appreciate that!"

"fmhm"

"What was that? You have to speak up, honey, I don't have a dog's sense of hearing."

"15, ok? But that doesn't mean I can't be of use to you!"

"I haven't made my decision yet. What about your parents? Do they know what you're getting yourself into?"

"They don't know I'm here, ma'am."

Even though a bit startled by the sudden formal address, Elphaba chose to ignore it for now: a little respect never hurt anybody.

"A runaway then, huh? You look like you've got a good home, why trade that for a life on the run?"

"With all due respect you must be joking ma'am! How can I sit idly by when it's so painfully obvious what's happening all around me! Just last week I was woken up by the pleadings of a neighboring family of Pigs getting expelled from their home at gunpoint. …. After that I couldn't sleep: I kept thinking that maybe I should have done something. Anything! To protect them … Instead of lying in bed like a frightened little girl!

... I was having breakfast with my mom when I saw the article about your organisation in the newspaper: They were talking about the penitentiary invasion in District 2, which freed a lot of Animals. The fact that you could clearly see in the pictures that many of them were just frightened little children tipped me of to the fact that those Animals had been wrongfully imprisoned and that freeing them albeit with force was the right thing to do.

I figured all those Animals would have needed to disappear quickly, before the Gail force could call for backup. I remembered I had once read about ancient catacombs running right underneath 52nd street and figured I should check out the area to see if I could find some clues on how to contact your organisation. This morning when my mom went to bring breakfast to the poor, I told her I was feeling sick and that I couldn't join her on her trip today. She was concerned of course, but I can be very convincing: Only one of my many useful qualities by the way.

So I packed a few of my belongings, put on this disguise – I still can't believe you saw through that! - And snuck out the door… the rest is history."

While she was talking Elphaba began to notice a fire in the girl's eyes that she hadn't seen before. She knew that fire though, because she had felt it herself. She knew how it felt to be so passionate about something you think you might burst, utterly convinced that one person alone can make a difference.

Then again: the girl was only 15! _But you weren't much older when you joined the team__ remember? _

"Won't your parents start looking for you? The last thing we need is a couple of concerned parents searching for their runaway offspring, running around, poking their noses into places where they don't belong. For all we know they could even alert the Gail Force!"

"My mom thinks I'm attending a seminar about Gilikin poetry at Shiz over the summer. A girl in my class really does, so I copied her admission slip.

Just to make sure, this weekend, when my parents were thinking I was having a sleepover at Zarrah's, I took the train to Shiz and gave the boy at the post office a bunch of already written letters, asking him to send them one at a time a couple of days apart, thus making my mom believe I really am at Shiz. It's amazing what men do when a pretty girl bats her eyelashes at him! …again: I can be very convincing and I usually get what I want." The girl winked.

" As for my father: he won't care, he's hardly ever around and when he is, he's way to busy listening to his music to notice me or my mom."

Elphaba took one long last look at the girl: She seemed capable enough and it wouldn't hurt to have another woman on the team…One that didn't stick out of a crowd like a sore thumb due to her complexion…

"Alright… Well, it's late. I guess you can stay the night. Tomorrow we'll see about your practical skills. For now, you'll be staying with me. "

"Hey Boys! This is….?"

"Ally"

"This is Ally. She is a potential new member! Let's not scare her away the first night she's staying here, ok? Be nice!"

And to Ally: "Don't worry they might act rough, but once they get to know and trust you they'll warm up: meaning they will stop at nothing to protect you! Now come on, my room is across the hall."


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I still don't own it.**

**A/N: Uhuh, seems like a bit of musicalverse slipped in there ;-) Thanks for the kind reviews. I try to make the chapters longer but they always turn out so short! I'll try to make it up by frequently posting new ones. Enjoy!**

It was still dark outside but Ally had been awake for a while now. What had woken her up she was not sure of, but her instincts told her not to ignore the muffled voices outside her door that had started a little while ago.

Perched on the desk on the other side of the room, she did not have to wait long before the door creaked open, revealing a dark figure. Ally watched as it made their way across the room, coming to a stop next to the cot she had been sleeping on only moments before. She could not make out what they were doing, but a sudden sound of splashing water let her blood run cold. Frozen Ally could barely suppress a gasp: so that was what had triggered her internal alarm then! Sometimes being a little clairvoyant really paid off…

"Hm… you're not exactly what they call a "light sleeper" now are you?" Clearly still deceived by the darkness the figure Ally by now had recognized as Anthony began poking the crumpled up blanket.

"Seriously: How on earth do you expect to survive real danger with such bad reactivity, girl?"

Snapping out of her fear induced haze Ally decided this was the moment to interrupt.

" Looking for me?" Starting her question with a tap to Anthony's shoulder she easily ducked the punch the startled man sent her way.

„Very clever! You can wipe that grin off your face though! We're just getting started: The hard part of your application is officially about to begin!"

Over the course of the next couple of hours it became clear to Ally that Anthony had not been kidding when he had made that threat: As it turned out the middle-aged man was nothing short of a drill sergeant when it came to testing her abilities. Thus far he had tested her on running, climbing, sneaking and horseback riding.

Right now Ally found herself involved in a tedious fencing match.

"Aha! Touché!" Anthony grinned, about to bestow the final strike upon a now unarmed Ally - who just smiled.

Anthony could only register a strong pull on his epee before he found himself without it, watching dumbfounded as it settled safely in his opponent's right hand.

"Did you just…? You did! But.… Hey! That's cheating!"

"Yeah, well, all's fair in love and war, right?"

"Yeah, yeah. All joking around aside though, I must say I'm impressed, little girl! Where on earth did you learn to do all that?"

"Well, I had a lot of energy as a child, so my mom signed me up for a lot of activities to wear me out before we had to attend fancy dinner parties, which due to my father's line of work was often.

As for the magic: I don't know it's just second nature to me. My mom doesn't like it when I use my powers though! She's such a hypocrite! For instance: I'm pretty sure she does magic herself when she thinks nobody's looking! She's really petite, you know? I know for a fact that there is no way in hell other than magic that she gets to those shoes-"

"Don't." Elphaba's voice was flat. Walking into the room she made sure to look Ally straight in the eye before she continued:

"Your mom is smart: It's foolish to just run around letting other people see what you can do. They tend to take advantage, trying to use you for their own sinister purposes."

Even as she was saying it Elphaba felt herself being pulled back into unwanted memories. Memories she had tried very hard to suppress, but that tended to haunt her every night. Memories of what had happened on that awful trip to the Emerald City, of what she had hoped and dreamed and… even worse, who she had shared those dreams with.

Luckily Ally seemed to sense her distress and did not push the issue further, instead busying herself running her fingers over the epee's ornamented handle, an uneasy expression on her face.

Finally snapping out of her sulk, Elphaba noticed and was then quick to console: "I'm glad you showed us, sweetheart, don't get me wrong! But don't just go around using those powers when you don't absolutely have to! Understood? It's unsafe! Especially! If you expect to work for the resistance!"

Ally nodded.

"Now, I've watched you practice and I have to agree with old Anthony here: You are good. Just out of curiosity though: Is there anything important that you can't do?"

"I can't swim."

Elphaba blinked."Fair enough. One last warning then: the hours in this business are long, the payment sucks and there are times when we have nothing to eat, drink or sleep upon. The chance of injury is extremely high and to be honest sometimes the only thing keeping you going will be knowing that you're doing it for a good cause. If you're willing to accept those conditions, congratulations, girl! Consider yourself hired."


	4. Chapter 4

**Hi Guys, sorry it took so long. I hope this makes up for the long wait. Also: I had to change a few sentences in the former chapters, but it were minor tweaks, nothing over the top relevant to the story. Enjoy!**

**I don't own Wicked.**

The pain was almost unbearable, so many people, people of all shapes and sizes appearing in the blur: pushing, pulling, screaming, she herself: blindly following the hand dragging her trough the crowd. She knew this had been a bad idea, her gut had told her so from the start, but she had had seen an opportunity, had been so determined to prove herself …

Everything went white and then that dreadful noise again. More screams. What were they screaming about? Couldn't they just stop? Most of them didn't even feel anything! Not that needle like pain anyway, endless, setting her skin on fire, burning it…

By now she had lost every sense of direction, she was simply letting herself be pulled, dragged by the hand. That hand… belonging to a stranger… who was she following?

"There are a lot of dangerous people out there!" Fae's voice. Drifting through her consciousness "You are not ready yet!..." She had been right of course. So right. Why couldn't she just let it be, instead of putting up a fight? "You have no problem sending other people out there!"… " I'm ready!", "I never asked for special treatment!" ,"You _don't_ have to protect me!" Why did she have to be so stubborn? Fae's face, puzzled, then her voice, calm, calm but so irritated – oh, she should have apologized right then, should have left, but she hadn't. Of course she hadn't, she had won, hadn't she? Her stubbornness had gotten her this far, had gotten her a chance! A chance! To finally prove herself as useful in the field!

But that disapproving look in Fae's eyes! Her own gut feeling! She should have listened to it! Should have listened not to the meaning of the words being said, but to the tone of Fae's voice. Irritated yes, but also caring, begging her to change her mind. But pride, oh her pride, of course, it did not care for the tone, it only heard the words…" You want prove yourself?" …"Fine!" …"This afternoon Morrible's holding a public speech! At the town square. Be there, see what you can find out!"

So white! That noise again! That hand! Leading her. Where? Didn't matter, away from here, away from the people, the noise, the pain! Light. Then darkness….

* * *

><p>Green. It was the first color Ally saw, when she woke up. Opening her eyes further she was able to determine that it belonged to a coat hanging over the back of a chair. Where was she? Slowly so as to spare her protesting limbs, she sat up. She did not know her surroundings. Of that she was sure. Why then, did that coat look so familiar? She was sure she had seen those golden buttons before, in fact had seen them a thousand times… Had seen them on – Oh no! But a look at the lapel confirmed it. "Gale force". She had been caught.<p>

Suddenly fully awake now, with adrenalin surging through her system, she was at the door in no time. She tried the handle. It wasn't locked. Strange… Opening the door fully now, she was prepared to sneak out of the apartment and run for her life. What she was not prepared for, was to run straight into a young man carrying a tray stacked with all kinds of delicious looking food. Food, that now went flying, spreading out in every direction, only to finish its journey on the floor.

"Ah! You're awake! Finally! I was beginning to worry!" His tone was caring.

Worry? Since when did gale force soldiers worry about their prisoners? …Unless she wasn't – Could it be that he did not know who she was? If so why did she wake up in his apartment?

"What happened? Why did you bring me here?" She chose to ask the least telling question running through her mind.

"You don't remember? You attended Madam Morrible's speech this afternoon. When the storm came up, I saw you needed help getting out of there! Somewhere along the way you passed out, so I took you up to my apartment. I wanted to attend to your wounds, too, but I didn't know how, and I didn't want to make it worse…" Again, that caring tone. His green eyes searched hers, his lips moving upwards into a bashful smile.

Ally found herself drowning in those eyes. They were gorgeous. Much like their owner. He was around her age, a little older maybe, tall, with a slender but muscular build. His ruffled dark brown hair complimented his eyes nicely.

Snapping herself out of it, Ally was finally able to comprehend what he had just said. Something about a storm? Yes! A storm! Where had it come from? One moment that old woman had asked Morrible a question and then, out of nowhere, the clouds had appeared.

Strange. A coincidence? What was it the woman had asked about? Ally couldn't remember. She should go back though. The others were probably worried by now.

Circling the young soldier, she gave him a sincere smile: "Well, I'll be on my way. Thank you for your help! I don't know how I could ever repay you!"

"Your name!... I mean if you were willing to give me your name, that would be payment enough…" His cheeks darkened.

He was right, he deserved at least that much, but she knew better then to give her real name to any gale force soldier, sweet or not. An old nickname then: "Lea" One last glance, and she was out the door.

* * *

><p>It took her a while to find her way back to the town square, but she made it. Of course by now, her adrenalin level had dropped and her wounds started to make themselves known again. Every step hurt, but she pushed through it, stopping only, when she became aware of the activities taking place in the vast and by now nearly deserted space.<p>

It seemed like the storm had left its mark on it. But that was not what had gotten her attention. She could see it clearly now: Several dark dressed men, pushing gurneys and picking up what appeared to be people. Or what was left of them. Left of those who had not survived the storm, had been trampled to death, hit by flying objects… Ally couldn't even let herself think about what suffering that storm had caused. Hadn't there been any way to prevent or subdue the mass panic it induced?

Just then she saw it: The body she had subconsciously been looking for. The body of the woman asking that question. Lying forgotten near the rim of the town square.

"Madam's sudden interest in geography wouldn't have to do anything with that silly old prophecy, now would it?"

That was it. That had been the question she had asked before all hell broke loose. It had seemed like the tattle of a confused old woman, but now, looking at the woman's still body amidst all the destruction, Ally couldn't help but wonder. Wonder, whether the storm had really been a random one…

* * *

><p>She was asleep now. Her long blonde hair spread out on the pillow. Her pretty face, head, arms, legs, all covered in bandages. Her body looked so small underneath that thin bed sheet.<p>

She never should have let her go. Elphaba had been out there looking for her, when Ally came back to the base, bleeding and according to Anthony, barely able to walk. She had told Anthony what had happened and had then passed out, leaving Charles, a Guinea pig and their only member with medical training to attend to her many wounds. Ally had told Anthony that she had received them when a tree was struck by lightening and burst into a million flying pieces. Charles however was doubtful having found not a single splinter of wood in her flesh. Elphaba agreed. She had had that feeling from the beginning: the feeling that the girl was hiding something.

However, that didn't matter now. What mattered was that Ally was injured and that Elphaba could have prevented it. Why had she let her go? There had been a look so stubborn, so familiar in her eyes that Elphaba didn't have the heart to tell her no.

In fact there was something oddly familiar about Ally's looks as well as her behaviour in general. Something Elphaba hadn't consciously noticed before. That comment about special treatment. It had thrown her off guard, but now, in hindsight she could see, it was there. She really felt the need to protect Ally at all cost. Maybe Ally's resemblance to someone Elphaba used to know, was the cause.

But now was not the time to dwell on old memories, all she could do now was do research on the information Ally had gathered. Like Ally she did not believe in coincidences, leading her to the conclusion that there was in fact a prophecy out there. A prophecy so dangerous that it was worth both dying and killing for…


	5. Chapter 5

**I still don't own Wicked. **I know, big surprise there... I hope you have fun with this chapter!

The next day found Elphaba and a slightly better looking Ally sitting amidst a pile of open books, sifting through what little information they could find on the topic of prophecies. It did not help that most of the books had seen better days and were missing most of their pages. Still, the two women counted themselves lucky they had them as it was illegal to own a private collection of books about prophecies. They could not be bought, making the few specimens the resistance had managed to collect from dumpsters behind libraries over the years a priceless possession.

"Fae? May I ask you a question?"

"I think you just did." Elphaba looked up from the book she was currently scanning.

"I mean a personal one?"

"Seeing that I reserve for myself the right to ignore it should I deem it inappropriate, I see nothing wrong with you asking it. Ask away." Elphaba was back to scanning the pages.

"Have you ever been in love?"

Elphaba blinked. This kind of question she had not expected. Thrown of guard she finally glanced up at Ally, her primal instinct to deflect by snapping at the girl instantly fading when she saw the sincere look upon Ally's face. The fact that the young girl's head was still covered in bandages brought back the feelings of guilt. Taking in a deep breath Elphaba forced herself to look back upon the pages.

"Yes, why do you ask?" There. That sounded casual enough.

"No particular reason. I just always wondered how you'd know…"

"Know what?" Elphaba's gaze as well as her right eyebrow rose on their own volition. As uncomfortable as she was with the topic, Elphaba had to admit her curiosity was piqued.

"That you're in love". The older woman thought she could see a slight blush rising in the younger girl's cheeks.

"Well, what did your mother tell you?"

"Nothing really. If I so much as graze the topic she gets all teary eyed. So I don't press it. Anyways, I doubt she and my father ever really were- in love I mean."

Letting that comment slide for now, Elphaba just offered what she hoped to be a comforting smile. She could relate to the girl on some level, for even though she had gotten to spend very little time with her own mother it had been enough for her to know that her parents' marriage had not been a happy one.

"So?" Ally's question brought her back to the presence. "How did you know?"

"I guess it is kind of hard to describe. … For instance: you suddenly find yourself wanting to spend all your time with the other person. … The constant butterflies in your stomach are a good indication, too, I suppose…. I really must apologize: I have no business telling you this - especially considering the fact that I am not very good at talking about feelings in general."

"Was it someone in the resistance?" Ally ignored the brunette's discomfort.

"No. It happened much earlier. In college." Elphaba surprised herself by answering the question.

"Why did it end?"

"I walked away." Elphaba's gaze was upon her own hands now. Had she been nervously twisting them together the whole time?

"Because you didn't love him anymore?"

""Her" and I never stopped loving her." Might as well tell all.

"Then why did it end?" Elphaba, who subconsciously had been looking for a different kind of reaction and had been expecting at least a raised eyebrow at her confession, was surprised to see nothing but genuine curiosity in the other girl's face.

"She would have followed me to the end of the world if I had let her. And even though I knew _I_ had to do it I always knew how dangerous joining the resistance would be. I never would have forgiven myself if I had anything to do with putting her in harm's way."

"So you don't regret it?" There it was, the burning question that plagued Elphaba every time she let herself think about Glinda. It was a question she could not answer. Not even for herself. Feeling cornered Elphaba's patience finally snapped. So instead she fixed the girl with a glare that let Ally unequivocally know that as far as Elphaba was concerned the conversation was considered to be over. "Have you found something useful yet?"

* * *

><p>It was almost midnight when Ally dared to speak again. Fae had not turned any pages for a while now. Instead she seemed to be absentmindedly twirling what appeared to be a pressed flower between the thumb and the index finger of her right hand. As she looked on Ally could make out its pretty pink colour as well as the many layers of tiny petals that formed its head.<p>

Hoping to smooth over the rift that had opened up between them, Ally spoke up.

"Fae? I want to apologize for what happened this afternoon. I got carried away. I realize now that I had no right to ask you that question."

"It's ok, kid." Fae smiled ruefully. "It was not entirely your fault anyway. I tend to easily take offense. Growing up as the only one looking like this" at that she gestured at her own face" teaches you to expect the worst from people."

Ally nodded. She could not imagine what it must have been like to grow up as the only green person around. It intrigued her but sensing that Fae had no desire to continue the conversation she decided to change the topic.

Looking back at the flower, Fae was still holding in her hands, she decided to give it a try: "Dahlias. My mom loves them so much, she even named me after them. They're my middle name. Allyson Dahlia Chuffrey."

It worked. The smile Fae was now giving her was genuine:

"She did? Well, in that case your mom chose well: It suits you."

A pause, then: "What does your first name stand for?"

Ally giggled: "In accordance with tradition my parents bestowed upon me the great honor of being named after my father's mother: Lady Allsion Chuffrey the Second. For some reason my mother never calls me that though: I've only ever been Ally or Lea to her."

"She's not that much older then me, you know? She had me when she was just 17." Ally continued, the sudden memories of all the silly things she and her mother had done when her father was not around, making her smile.

"You two seem to have been very close. Do you miss her?" Elphaba's question hit home; Ally could feel the tears rising into her eyes. She swallowed and instead forced a smile:

"Every minute. She's my best friend. But… I know I'm doing this for a good cause, so…"

Not able to finish that sentence, Ally forced her eyes closed, willing the tears away before they could do their damage. Not being able to see, the handkerchief placed into her hand took her by surprise, even more so when the hand placing it there was not immediately retracted but lingered, giving her own hand a reassuring squeeze.


	6. Chapter 6

**This chapter gets a major fluff warning, but beware there's also a little angst mixed in there. Oh, and Glinda makes an appearance! Finally…**

It's summer now. The air is sticky and hot and except for the occasional cool breeze coming from the water remarkably calm. The calm before the storm? Elphaba wonders.

She is currently enjoying the quiet that only her favourite hideout place can provide: sitting in the shadows of a giant oak, her back up against its trunk with her legs bent and her bare feet buried into the grass, she has a perfect view of the lake in front of her.

So far out there are no unwanted visitors. The only sound reminding Elphaba that she is in fact still on campus are the fragments of carefree laughter and girlish screams that the breeze carries to her from the other side of the lake. While the majority of her fellow students is seeking refuge from the heat by frolicking around in the cool waters, Elphaba escapes by diving into the secrets hidden inside the book she is currently holding somewhat awkwardly in her left hand.

Though over the course of the last couple of hours she has felt tempted to bring in her other hand as well - an action that would certainly have made her constant endeavors to turn the pages much easier - she did not have the heart to do it. Not when it meant disturbing the sleeping blonde who had taken up residency between her bent legs a few hours ago: Determined to learn more about the things her best friend read on a daily basis, as she put it, Galinda had insisted on reading the latest library treasure together. It was a book about Unionism and it had not been long until Elphaba could feel the tale-tell signs of her roommate's body succumbing to sleep.

Now, hours later, Elphaba still has her right arm around her, her thumb drawing lazy circles on the smaller girl's naked forearm. And though she probably should feel smothered by the additional heat the body pressed against her front is providing she cannot think of any place that she would rather be.

But then it comes: the reason to move. At first Elphaba is tempted to ignore it, but her instinct of self-preservation eventually wins out. She tries to wake the blonde up gently though: interlacing the fingers of their right hands and pulling them towards the blonde's belly in a gently squeeze, giving the smaller girl something that could be described as a half hug. When nothing happens she tries a verbal approach:

"Galinda? I'm sorry, my sweet, but we should go back…"

No actual response, just some unintelligible mumbling sounds and then Galinda is burying her face even deeper into Elphaba's shoulder.

Chuckling the green girl plucks one of the many flowers that surround them like a pink cloud and attacks Galinda's nose with it:

"Galinda? My sweet, I know you can hear me. Come on now, be a good girl: rise and shine!" This does the trick: a sleepy hand comes up and tries patting the offending flower away.

"Ugh! Not fair, Elphie! I was really comfortable!"

"I could tell." Elphaba chuckles. "If it makes you feel any better: It really pained me to wake you up. Asleep, you looked absolutely adorable."

"Are you trying to tell me you don't think I'm adorable when I'm awake?" Stunned Elphaba does not know how to respond. Is Galinda flirting with her? Sure, it was not unusual for their banter to have a slightly romantic undertone, but here amidst the flowers with the lake sparkling in the background and their bodies positioned so close together it suddenly feels different.

A giggle pulls her out of her ponderings. By now Galinda has turned around in her arms and is looking directly into her eyes. "You know, Elphie, you're pretty adorable yourself. Especially – "she taps Elphaba on the nose" When you space out!"

Then they hear it again. The thunder in background that has set Elphabain motion in the first place.

Galinda's eyes widen in realization. She leans forward, gives Elphaba a peck on the lips and then pulls them both to their feet. "C'mon let's move!"

Still in a daze Elphaba lets herself be pulled up. She ends up standing right in front of Galinda, their noses only inches apart.

The blonde is still holding her hand but Elphaba cannot will herself to retrieve it anymore than she can turn her gaze away from the beauty that is Galinda's face.

Today there is no make up covering up the smaller girl's immaculate skin. Her cheeks are still rosy from sleep and a few of her curls have become undone from the ponytail.

To Elphaba her best friend has never looked more beautiful. And while she has never understood why Galinda usually bothers with putting so much unnecessary paint on her face, it makes her heart swell to know that she is the only one who knows this side of Galinda. The only one Galinda feels comfortable enough with to stop pretending.

Feeling overwhelmed she glances into the background but the glittering water does nothing but reinforce her desire to get lost in those sparkling blue orbs in front of her

There is something in the way Galinda looks at her, a certain sparkle in her eyes, that makes Elphaba feel like she could drown.

For the longest time they do nothing but stare into each others eyes, their breath quickening to a point that Elphaba feels like she might burst.

And then they are kissing. Timid at first but then with a growing confidence.

It is the best feeling in the world... but in the back of her mind Elphaba knows it wont last. She tries holding on to it, but of course it starts slipping away…

* * *

><p>Elphaba awoke with a start.<p>

She could still feel the happiness she had felt only moments ago, but now it was accompanied by guilt. Guilt that the dream had once been real but that she had thrown it away. Had thrown it away the minute she had chosen the mission over Glinda. It had been the hardest decision of her life.

"So you don't regret it?" Ally's question from the day before still rang in her head. Had it been the right decision? …She honestly did not know. Did she regret it? It sure felt like it. But what would have happened to Glinda had she chosen differently?

Would the blonde really have gone with her? And if so could she have endured a life on the run?

Then again, Elphaba could have also chosen to return to Shiz, pretending that there was nothing wrong with the world. - But there was. Elphaba was sure the knowledge of that fact would have eaten her up eventually….

She did not know what could have happened. The knowledge that what was done was done had to suffice for now. There was no need to dwell on it any further.

It was later that day, that Elphaba was walking into the kitchen, where Ally was busy petting Malky, the cat Elphaba had rescued the same day the young girl had joined the resistance. The two of them either did not notice the newcomer or chose not to for seemingly lost in their own little world they did not look up.

Watching the young girl pamper the pet Elphaba could not help but notice there was an innate grace to her movements that Elphaba had not detected before. Combined with the way her eyes sparkled in ingénue-like joy there was something about her that made it impossible for Elphaba to obey her morning resolutions.

Seeing the young girl who in many ways - in behaviour as well as exterior - was so similar to the woman she loved, she could not help but wonder what had happened to Glinda.

Glinda's plan had always been to finish school and then find a rich husband. Did she get married right away? Did she want children or was there a bunch of them tugging on her skirt already?

The thought of Glinda as a housewife made Elphaba cringe, but as much as she preferred thinking Glinda was following her dreams, exploiting her talent for architecture she had the nagging feeling that Glinda had chosen the former path. After all she had always felt forced to follow the rules of what was expected…

Nothing proved that point better then the events following their first kiss:

They had made it home just in time before the rain started and while Elphaba was busy sealing up the windows, Galinda had slipped away into the bathroom. When the smaller girl had not come out for a while Elphaba had decided to get ready for bed. Still pondering the events of the afternoon Elphaba had tucked herself in. It was then that Galinda had resurfaced. She had not said a word though, had just sat down at her vanity and started brushing her hair.

Elphaba eventually had not been able to take it anymore:

"Galinda? What happened earlier?"

"What do you mean?"

"Don't do that! You know what I mean!"

Finally Galinda had turned.

"Oh that." She had shrugged, her gaze anywhere but at Elphaba. "I guess I lost my composure." Her gaze had drifted to the floor.

"So you didn't mean it?" Elphaba had felt close to tears.

"Of course I meant it!" With that her head had shot up, fixating her gaze on Elphaba, tears running down her face.

"Oz, you have no idea for how long I have dreamt about doing that! But… but I shouldn't have done it! Girls… we're not supposed to…Please don't make this any harder than it already is!"

As much as it had pained her to know Galinda was hurting and in need of comfort Elphaba had not been able to bring herself to get up. Instead she had just sat there, on her bed, trying to process what was happening. She had felt so angry, betrayed, disappointed…

She did not know how long she had sat there but eventually Galinda had come to her bed.

"Can't we just pretend that nothing has happened? Please, Elphie? I could't bear to loose what we have!"

She had looked so utterly miserable in that moment, that Elphaba had felt compelled to give in. Without a world she had lifted the covers, making room for the other girl to slip in.

And even though she had felt tempted to point out that the habit of sleeping in the same bed holding each other close was not usual behaviour for people who were just friends, either, she had decided against it. The last thing she had wanted to do was spook Galinda. If the prize for being allowed to hold her close every night was that Elphaba had to go on pretending that what they had was nothing out of the ordinary that was what she would do from that point on.


	7. Chapter 7

**Thank you guys for the kind reviews and story alerts, they made my day! **

„Fae!" Ian's voice boomed through the hideout, making Elphaba who had been utterly engrossed in the book in front of her jump. At first she was tempted to ignore the call, but even though the Gorilla was practically always in a sour mood she had rarely heard that particular tone of voice and it had always meant trouble. Cursing the Gorilla's talent for bad timing she got up but not before slipping her pencil into the book, marking the page – after all she had every intention of hurrying back to it as soon as she had dealt with whatever her grouchy boss wanted.

Deciding that offense sometimes was the best defense she spoke before her boss could: "Whatever you want me to do, boss, it has to wait! I think I finally found…"

She did not get to finish her sentence, because in that moment she noticed Ally – sitting on a chair in the far corner of the room, encircled by several loudly chattering and wildly gesturing members of the resistance. The girl did not seem aware of her surroundings however: her gaze was seemingly fixated on a spot on the ground a couple of feet in front of her. Her delicate body rocking back and forth.

With her hands which were clutched together she was holding onto something that looked like an old rag.

"This!" Ian pointed towards Ally," this is your mess. _You_ were the one who pledged for her that makes _her_ _your_ responsibility! Clean it up!"

Shooting one final glare at Elphaba he retreated, muttering insults under his breath that Elphaba was only too glad she could not understand.

Bewildered she turned to the man standing next to her: "Dammit, what the heck happened, Anthony?"

"Well that's just the thing, sweetheart: Nobody knows! She ain't speaking to us, just came in here looking like she'd seen a ghost. Broke down right were y'ar standing! Was at the market, grocery shopping - I think. Derek and I managed to get her to sit down, but that's it, there's no getting through to her!"

"I see." Slowly so as not to startle her, she knelt down in front of the catatonic girl.

"Ally?" Not knowing what to do or say she put one of her hands on top of Ally's right knee and gave it a gentle squeeze. The rocking stopped. Instead of it Ally began to slowly shake her head clearly trying to block out reality. Her mouth that until now had been squeezed tight in agony was no forming words but from what Elphaba could understand they were only mutterings to herself consisting of "No!"s and "Can't be…"s.

"Honey, honey! Listen to me!" Desperate now, Elphaba leaned up, and - gently pushing Ally's face up by the chin with one hand - forced her to look into Elphaba's direction. Searching the younger girl's eyes for any sign of recognition, she whispered: "I want to help you, Ally, but I can only do that if you snap out of it and tell me what's wrong! What happened to you?" To comfort the girl further, she covered her hands with her own.

This attempt proved to be more successful. Ally's pupils contracted slightly, her vision becoming focused.

Elphaba could see recognition flash in her eyes, before her lower lip began tremble.

"They…" seemingly unable to finish her sentence the young girl squeezed her eyes closed tight, letting out a breath she continued: "they've got my mom!"

At Elphaba's bemused expression she thrust the thing she had been clutching in her hands into the green girl's direction. Elphaba took it and began to unfold what she could by now identify as an old newspaper page. Looking in Ally's direction she saw that the young girl had retreated again: she was back to rocking back and forth, her legs now pulled up onto the chair and in a tight embrace, her chin resting on top of her knees. Her expression was aware though and her eyes which were fixated on Elphaba looked both desperate and hopeful. There lay a trust in them that made Elphaba's heart swell with astonishing affection.

Reassured that Ally would not fall back into her stupor, Elphaba focused on the page. It was wrinkled and dirty - looking as if at least a hundred of shod feet had passed over it - but what little information she could make out on it, it was enough to make her heart stop…


	8. Chapter 8

In big letters the headline: **Lady Glinda Chuffrey – Renowned Gillikenese Socialite Arrested for Treason Against Loyal Oz.**

Underneath - the picture of an all too familiar blonde.

Elphaba had been staring at the picture for almost 30 minutes now, unable to comprehend how this could have transpired. She had pushed Glinda away to prevent exactly this thing from happening!

While she was still deep in thought, Mellark came back. He had been out dumpster diving in hopes of finding more information. Apparently the mission had been a success, as in his right hand he was waving two copies of the Emerald City Times.

As soon as she noticed him, she was by his side, not giving the young man time to catch his breath before she yanking one of the copies from his grip. Ally joined them immediately.

They found the paper contained the same article they had seen before, but due to the paper's almost pristine condition it was now possible to read the text.

Anthony, who had gotten hold of the second copy, was the first to speak up, informing the other members about the article's content: "Says here she's been leaking classified government actions to the Gillikin underground cells for years! Seems to have gathered it at social events!" Anthony was shaking his head in disbelief. "Lady sure got some skills! Says further, that she's also suspected of manipulating the outcomes of various propositions and that she might have even prevented some crucial laws from passing!"

A murmur went through the room. Elphaba ignored it, a look at the top of the page had confirmed her fears: They had stumbled upon the news late: The newspaper was dated six days back.

"They have taken her to Southstairs." Ally sounded as miserable as Elphaba felt. Next to them appeared Derek, the young man in charge of inter cell communication - an excited look upon his face:

"So this who their whistleblower is? Man, I've been wondering for years how they could have come up with all the newest information! Should have figured it was because they had a person on the inside!"

Elphaba's head was reeling: In all the years she had been working for the resistance, she had accomplished almost nothing compared to the bigger picture. She had justified it by telling herself there was nothing more one person could do and that what little she could accomplish was better then doing nothing.

And here came Glinda: proving her wrong. While she had had trouble fighting the system from the outside, Glinda had been playing it from within, thus becoming one of the government's biggest threats.

Almost immediately Elphaba reprimanded herself for being so surprised: she had always known there was more to Glinda than just her looks. It was the fact that she had actually had the guts to act on it that puzzled Elphaba and at the same time filled her heart with pride.

Still: A lot could have happened to her in six days… Especially considering Southstairs' notorious reputation. So Elphaba pushed her thoughts aside and instead turned to Ally. The teenager was busy pacing the room, muttering to herself. Elphaba stopped her:

"Did you know about this?"

"No! My mom probably didn't want to put me in danger…" She looked at the older woman urgently: "Please Fae! She's my mom! We have to help her!"

Elphaba gave her a grim nod: "I'll fight it out with Ian."

And fight it out, she did. As she had anticipated, Ian declined to help her in what he deemed a sentimental suicide mission:

"Face it, Fae! You've been with us for quite some time now: You know this is how it has to be! We can't save everybody! Sometimes the risks are too high! And I'm not only talking about your own pathetic little lifes, I'm talking about the risks to the resistance! What if they catch you? What if they make you talk? If this woman has gone to such great lengths to help the cause, do you really think she would want you to jeopardize it? No, she knew what would happen to her, if she got caught and she decided to risk it anyway. As noble a person as that makes her, there is nothing we can do for her now!"

Elphaba was not giving up: "You want a reason other than that it's the right thing to do? How about the fact that she's got information that could prove vital to our cause? It says here they based her arrest solely on a letter they intercepted. If that letter was reason enough to arrest her, it has to have contained something important! We need to get her out of that prison!"

That logic got the Gorilla's attention. Elphaba knew she had won.


	9. Chapter 9

Here she was now, pacing the private chambers of her sworn enemy, looking about for anything that might prove useful, but mostly hopefully waiting. The plan was simple: Break into Morrible's mansion, find the prison plans and leave unnoticed. It was based on the assumption, that Morrible, who, back at Shiz, had taken such pleasure from making up the most sadistic room assignments, only to see the mayhem that would ensue, had not to given up her hobby, but had, now that the Wizard had given her a position of power as his press secretary, seized the opportunity to expand it. After all, if you could do your fair share of damage by simply forcing unwilling girls to room together, the possibilities of damage done as a result of "unfortunate" cellmate combinations were endless…

Passing by the open balcony doors, Elphaba felt reassured she had chosen the right time for breaking into the former headmistress's lair: Although the sun had already started its descend the few remaining sun beams still filtering into the apartment bathed the room in a golden twilight, providing enough light to allow a quick survey of Morrible's quarters without the need of lightening any suspicious lights which might have alerted the guards. The fact that the air was filled with laughter and music told her that the fundraiser Morrible was attending tonight a few blocks away at the wizard's palace was still in full swing.

She was just about to open a cabinet, when she heard a metallic clicking sound behind her. It would have been alarming, had it not, at one point, been so familiar.

Hastily she whirled around and sure enough: there, in the doorway, sat her sister.

"Well, well, if it isn't prodigal sister finally coming out of hiding!"

"Nessa?" Elphaba could only watch flabbergasted as the sibling she had not seen in years wheeled herself fully into the room.

"What…, what are you doing here?" Even though her original instinct had been to run across the room and take her sister into her arms, something in the way Nessa was looking at her now let her hesitate.

"Surprised to see me, Elphaba?" Nessa's voice was bitter, hostile: "What has it been? Only 16, 17 years? My, my time sure does have a tendency to fly - _especially_ if you are busy saving the world, isn't that right, Elphaba?…Now for your question: I could ask you the same thing of course, but I've got a feeling I already know the answer. Regardless, I don't think your reason is anywhere nearly as plausible as mine. I live here."

"Here?" Elphaba felt like the rug had been pulled out from under her. This could not be right! It had to be a cruel joke her sister was playing to get back at her. There was no way her sister would willingly choose to live with the woman Elphaba felt was the source of all evil that had recently come over Oz!

"Oh, don't look so shocked Elphaba! Let me ask you something, when you so selfishly abandoned me all those years ago, where did you think I would go? Did you even think about who was going to take care of me?"

"Nessa, I … You still had Nanny and Glinda, didn't you?"

"That old hag and your little blonde airhead? Ha! It's not like they stuck around much longer after you left! Stubborn old Nanny insisted to go looking for you! Can you believe it? At her age and despite all her responsibilities toward me? Just up and left! Madame Morrible even provided her with an escort, but she never came back. Probably managed to get herself killed anyway. Foolish old cow! And of course your little princess left school for good soon after Nanny took off…" With every sentence Nessa had wheeled herself further toward Elphaba, who in turn had always taken a step back and was now pressed to the wall, her mind reeling.

"Glinda left?"

"Oh, you have got to be kidding me! _That_'s all you have to say?"

"Nessa… I'm-" Ruefully Elphaba sank to her knees. She reached out to cover sister's hand ,which was still clutching the wheel, with one of her own.

"Don't!" With that Nessa retreated to the middle of the room." Don't touch me! And don't you dare try to apologize! I had been depending upon you my whole life and you just abandoned me, Elphaba! You knew I needed you! How could you be so selfish?" Bitter tears were running down her face and she turned her head, angrily wiping them away. Taking a deep breath she seemed to be able to recompose herself:

"I'm still alive, yes. But no thanks to you! After you all completely abandoned me, Madame was the only one who actually cared about me. She was even kind enough to take me under her wings and make me her protégé. For that I will always be grateful to her."

"Her protégé? Oh Oz, no! Nessa, tell me you are not letting her guide your decisions as Eminent Thropp! Morrible is not a good person! She wouldn't have taken you in simply out of the goodness of her heart! I can't believe I did not foresee this! She's controlling you. She's using you and your position to control Munchkinland. Can't you see that? We have to get you out of here!"

"Of course! I knew you'd find a way to belittle me again! Nice try! But you know what Elphaba: I am perfectly capable of making my own decisions: I don't have to listen to you anymore: you abandoned me! You, along with everybody else. Madame was the only one to stick around. She is the only one who deserves my loyalty." With that Nessa turned to leave.

Casually, so as if a thought had just entered her mind, she turned back around:

"Also, aren't you already _on_ a little rescue mission? Don't look so surprised. Your actions are quite predictable, really: You always were her little lapdog: I should have known the first time I'd see you again would be because you came running when that little harlot was in danger…"

"Don't you dare call her that!" Elphaba's guilt had turned into anger.

Nessa only smirked: "Why not? It's true! The Uplands may have done a wonderful job keeping their precious little daughter's dirty little secret out of the press but that doesn't mean they could fool the people who were actually there! You see last time I checked, you had to be pregnant for nine months before giving birth!"

Elphaba was caught off guard and her expression must have given her away, for Nessa continued cruelly:

"Oh I see, you didn't know that little tidbit of information, now did you? Yeah, well sorry to tell you, but yes, your beloved couldn't wait to move on! After you left, it took her only two months to find a husband and only seven more to get a child!"

Letting that information settle for a moment, she then spoke again, only to land her final blow: "Elphaba, Elphaba, Elphaba… What really surprises me, is that you haven't shown up here sooner! You know, her husband already tried this one week ago! Came here to plead with Madame Morrible. It was quite touching really. Seemed to be quite the reasonable man, too. Too bad he has no control over his wife…"

"Well, I'm not here to plead with Morrible!" It came out as almost a growl. Determined not to let her sister's words get to her, Elphaba's teeth were pressed tightly together, her hands clenched at her sides.

Unfazed Nessa continued: "Nah, of course not. Proud Elphaba, always the rebel. You never ask for permission: you just take whatever you want, leaving other people to pick up the pieces. Not this time though: Might as well give up now, Elphaba, there's no way you will make it out of here! GUARDS!" Her screech was loud enough to echo through the hallways…


	10. Chapter 10

For a second Elphaba stood frozen, unable to comprehend her own sister's willingness to throw her to the wolves -stunned to discover that she hated her enough to do so.

While Elphaba had felt guilty for leaving Nessa behind, deep down she had always believed that her sister understood why she had done it, why she had felt compelled to do it: to be there for the Animals in their hour of need, just like she had been there for her sister all those years. – All those years of caring for Nessa, of sacrificing her own happiness, did they not account for something? Despite their differences, Elphaba had always felt a strong sibling bond between them. How could that relationship have been so utterly destroyed?

The sight of Ally sprinting out of Morrible's study waving a rolled up piece of paper in her right hand, shouting: "I've got them! Let's go!" ripped her out of her stupor.

Within seconds they were on the balcony, brooms in hands. From there it was just a quick jump and they were soaring through the air, the sounds of Nessa's screeching - by now accompanied by the sound of rapid gun fire - quickly fading into the distance.

With each minute they sped through the air Elphaba's heartbeat settled down, slowly going back to normal. She was still rattled by the encounter, but the fresh air helped clear her head.

Giving the handle of her broom a thankful squeeze she turned to the young girl flying beside her.

It still amazed her that the flight to the palace had been the blonde's first ride on a broom. She seemed to have a natural talent for flying: Never loosing her balance, even in the strongest of winds. Now as well it was not her expertise that worried the older girl, but her expression. She looked every bit as troubled as Elphaba felt.

"Ally.", "Ally!" Feeling the need to reassure the young girl even though she herself did not feel it, Elphaba opened her mouth to tell her that everything was going to be ok, when a strong headwind came up, muffling the sound of her voice to an unintelligible whisper. She tried again, but it was all for naught: the speed at which they were going rendered every attempt at conversation futile. So eventually Elphaba just nodded her head, giving Ally what she hoped to be an encouraging smile.

The rest of the way they travelled in silence, each girl lost in their own thoughts.

By the time they reached Southstairs night had fallen, making the prison sitting amidst an area illuminated by dozens of torches stand out.

Somewhere in the distance they could hear the sounds of wolves howling at the moon, but here, everything was peacefully quiet: Flying had given them a bit of a head start and the news of their activities had not yet reached the prison. If Elphaba's math was correct it would at least be another hour until some Moribble-sent horseman would arrive to deliver the message.

Unlike the ground around the prison the top of the building's towers lay in darkness. With only the occasional bird as a visitor, there had never been a reason for the guards to anticipate an aerial assault – until now.

Gazing downward the guard standing on top of the tower with the best view of the crater within the prison walls never stood a chance: He did not see them coming, had no time to scream, until the handle of Elphaba's broom collided with his head, effectively rendering him unconscious.

To minimize the risk of detection they crouched behind the tower's battlement to study the map. Morrible had clearly anticipated a rescue mission. However, luckily for them she seemed to have forgone putting Glinda into the high security part of the prison in favour of effectively hiding her away - a strategy that would have worked had they not stopped by to retrieve the map. As it was Glinda might as well have dropped off the face of the earth altogether, nobody would have ever expected to find her in a part of the prison so ruinous it had been abandoned years ago.

Peering over the battlement they could make out the rusty iron gate barely hanging in its hinges that had once served as the crater-entrance to the dungeons. Next to it they could see several iron enforced doors that led to the newer parts of the prison. There seemed to be only one guard stationed at the bottom of the crater: a young man huddled next to a small camp fire trying to stay warm.

"Don't you think it's a little too risky flying down the crater with him down there. If he sees us, there is no way we can get to him in time before he alerts the other guards!" Ally pointed out.

"You're right, but look! Seems like we're in luck. Nights at the prison must be pretty dull, because that young fellow down there looks like he's about ready to drop. Let's wait here for a bit. I've got a feeling, he'll be asleep within minutes."

For a couple of minutes they watched the guard fidget, trying to get comfortable.

"So: Elphaba?" Looking up, Ally eyed the older woman with a curious expression.

"I guess you heard, huh?" Elphaba kept her eyes trained on the yard. "Elphaba is my given name. I chose to go by "Fae" when I joined the resistance. It's funny, nobody has called me Elphaba in a long time. It almost feels as if I've just always been Fae…" She had not been Elphaba since her time at Shiz, a period in her life which now seemed like a lifetime ago… back when- No!

Shaking herself out of her nostalgia she looked up at Ally, giving her an apologetic smile: "Anyway, as you heard, that was my lovely sister Nessarose. Nessa's always been a little difficult and my abandoning her obviously didn't exactly help matters… I'm sorry you had to witness our little family reunion…"

Silence, then:

"…Why didn't you tell me that you knew my mother?"

Taking a deep breath, Elphaba looked back at the yard. "Because it was a long time ago. I went to school with your mother, we were roommates."

"You were?! Oz that explains a lot!" Elphaba's head shot up, she was about to ask, what the girl meant by that statement, when Ally bubbled on: "I guess that means you know my real father?"

"Your real… Oh! This is because of what Nessa said, isn't it? Don't believe her! She's so bitter, she was just – "

" No it's true…I mean, I've heard rumors before - that my father is not my biological one… And you know what? It makes sense! Every time I think about it, I come to the same conclusion: Too little time has passed between my birth and the wedding. It was an arranged marriage, too: my parents supposedly met for the first time only one week before the wedding. It never made sense to me: Why my grandparents would get to choose my mom's husband and most of all, why they would pick my father: mom had it all, she was beautiful, intelligent, popular… In short: she could have had her pick of men. So for her to let my grandparents choose her husband? A man twice her age? And not even that wealthy? It makes no sense! But you know what would make sense? If the wedding had been a cover up – because she had already been pregnant!

I've heard rumors that she ran away from school for two weeks around the time she had to have gotten pregnant. Do you know anything about that? Or do you know if there was anyone at Shiz that she had been involved with?"

Yes, me… Elphaba had struggeled with that moral dilemma for a while now: Should she tell Ally? But what good would come of it! If anything it would only confuse Ally further. No, it was up to Glinda as the girl's mother to tell her about it, if she wanted to. Elphaba had lost all rights to meddle in Glinda's affairs when she had left her. Still, the thought that she had been so quickly replaced hurt. Who was Ally's father? After she had left, had Glinda sought comfort in the arms of one of their friends? Fiyero? Boq? Avaric? While all these thoughts made her nauseous, that one in particular made her shudder.

Or had it been someone else entirely? A boy she had met at a party? Had it been just a fling or had Glinda fallen in love?

Ally was still looking at her hopefully. Maybe it was best to change the subject…

"No, sorry. I'm as clueless as you are… It must have happened after I run away to join the resistance… There, he's asleep! Let's go!"


	11. Chapter 11

Once on the ground they hurried to the right entrance. One strong push and the old gate swung open. Grabbing a torch from the crater wall they stepped into a spiral staircase. Cold moldy air wafted up damp stairs, making the torch's light flicker.

They wasted no time in climbing down to the bottom. From there they followed a long corridor, hurrying past seemingly endless rows of cells. Keeping her gaze focused on the uneven ground, Ally tried to ignore the things she saw gleaming in the darkness of some of the derelict cells. Try as she might though she could not shake the gnawing suspicion that they were human remains. The thought made her shudder. Whoever had the misfortune of getting allotted a cell in this sector was clearly meant to be forgotten about.

The sick feeling in her stomach that had been a constant companion ever since she had learned of her mother's arrest worsened with every step.

After what felt like an eternity, they finally reached the intended cell. Through rusty iron bars they could make out a small figure lying huddled beneath an old woolen blanket in the center of the chamber. They lay so still that, had it not been for the blonde hair peeking out from underneath the rim, the two women might have mistaken the dark grey blanket for a rock.

"Mom!" "MOM!" Ally could not help it, when her mother did not stir she was beside herself, hysterically rattling at the gate, screaming at the top of her lungs.

"Shh! Will you stop that racket?! You'll only alert the guards! Here, take my hand!" Elphaba did not wait for the blonde's reaction, she just grabbed Ally's hand. As soon as the young girl's fingers made contact with green ones, Ally felt a strange energy flowing through her body. She watched as Elphaba pressed her other hand to one of the iron bars, which to Ally's amazement bent underneath her touch like dough. When the gap was big enough for them to climb through Elphaba stepped aside.

Ally was at Glinda's side immediately. Close up, she discerned with relief that her mother was still breathing - although very shallowly. Her eyes were closed.

"Mom!" Ally tried again. Gripping her mother's shoulder she was shocked to discover how much weight the older woman had lost, but even more concerning was the temperature of her skin. "She's running a fever!"

Elphaba was kneeling beside her now, her eyes furious. "Is it any wonder? I'm surprised they even bothered giving her a blanket! They clearly left her for dead down here!"

The eerie light of the burning torch made Glinda's pale skin look almost transparent, emphasizing the dark circles under her eyes.

"What have they done to you, my sweet…" Elphaba muttered, the back of her fingers caressing Glinda's cheek with a gentleness that Ally would have never thought the fearless rebel capable of.

"Elphie?" Slowly blue eyes opened, a spark of recognition flashing through them, but rather quickly they glazed over again, their owner slipping back into unconsciousness.

"Shh, go back to sleep, my sweet! We've got you." With that Elphaba placed a loving kiss on Glinda's forehead - an action that came across as so private, witnessing it made Ally blush. However, while the young girl's curiosity was definitely piqued, now was not the time to ask questions…

"Here take the torch. I'll carry her. Let's not waste any more time!" Back to business, Elphaba scooped Glinda into her arms.

…

"Hold it right there!"

They were almost at the end of the corridor, when the silhouette of a man appeared at the bottom of the stairs.

"Lea?!"

Ally's heart skipped a beat: It was the young soldier, that had saved her life after Morrible's speech.


End file.
